Alice Slater

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Agent: Zoe Ross
Zoe Ross
zross@unitedagents.co.uk
Assistant: Olivia Davies
odavies@unitedagents.co.uk

Books

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Alice is a writer, editor and ex-bookseller from London. She co-hosts the literary podcast What Page Are You On?, and edited Outsiders: A Short Story Anthology (3 of Cups Press). Her fiction has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and appeared in Dear Damsels, Cunning Folk, and On Anxiety (3 of Cups Press). 

Forthcoming publication:

LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL (Hodder UK) - 15th May 2025

New Orleans: Then. 

Alone in New Orleans, Selina is struggling to fit in. When a charismatic stranger invites her for a drink, she’s grateful for the company – but as their friendship grows, she can’t help but sense a darkness within her new friend. Who is Daniel, and what does he want from her?

London: Now. 

Daniel is missing. No one has seen or heard from him in weeks. Beside herself with worry, his sister Caroline hosts an intimate gathering in her beautiful North London home so those closest to Daniel can come together and compare notes.

But all isn't quite as it seems: Caroline has invited a stranger to the table, an accomplished psychic who claims to have met Daniel four thousand miles away in New Orleans.

As evening turns to night, the dark truth of what really happened in New Orleans begins to emerge… 

 

Previous publications: 

DEATH OF A BOOKSELLER -  Hodder (UK) and Scarlet Publishing (US)

A Sunday Times bestseller

Roach - bookseller, loner and true crime fanatic – has no interest in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep.

That is, until Laura joins the bookshop.

With her cute literary tote bags and sunny smile, she's everyone's favourite bookseller. But beneath the shiny veneer, Roach senses a darkness within Laura, the same darkness Roach possesses.

And as curiosity blooms into morbid obsession, Roach becomes determined to be part of Laura’s story – whether Laura wants her in it or not.

 

Praise:

'Beautifully written and dark as Satan’s basement, DEATH OF A BOOKSELLER will have you looking over your shoulder long after the last page is turned. Its characters creep into your subconscious and the plot grips the reader like a sticky pub floor. If you like Caroline Kepnes, then welcome to Alice Slater, your new obsession. ' - Erin Kelly  

'Snickering, devil emoji, this-Alice-Slater-is-too-witty LOL brilliance that will make you smile every time you step into a bookshop. A confident, sassy pitch-black debut by someone who really knows her way around a bookshop, as well our death-obsessed culture.' - Caroline Kepnes

'Death of a Bookseller is a stunning debut, a shrewdly observed insight into life behind the bookshop tills and what happens when two very different booksellers clash. Clever, funny, beautifully written and as dark as a goth's shadow, this is the book I will be recommending to everyone this year.' - Jane Casey
 
'Tense, addictive and sticky underfoot, Death of a Bookseller lends a tangible throb of menace to its seemingly cosy world, overturning every preconception and delving deep into its characters' damaged psyches. I couldn't put it down'. - Julia Armfield
'A gripping, grungy debut’ - The Times {Saturday Review}
 
‘Very dark, very witty and very readable’ - Fabulous Magazine
 
‘A brilliantly original, macabre tale.’ -  Pick of the Week review, The Sun

‘Sinister and sticky. Death of a Bookseller is the kind of pitch-black fiction you can’t put down.’ - Book of the Week Review, Heat Magazine

'Although this is a debut, it’s very hard to read it as Alice’s first book. It is incredible … It’s uncomfortable, it’s claustrophobic, and you won’t take your eyes off the pages’  - Belfast Telegraph  

'A darkly fun crime debut’ - i Paper

‘A sharp and creepy debut thriller' -  'Best New Releases' in the Mail on Sunday

‘Wonderfully creepy and menacing thriller.’ - Red Magazine

‘Fast-paced with a great finale’ - Women & Home 'Book of the Month'

‘Dark and unsettling, with references to more serial killers than you ever knew existed’ - Gloss Magazine, The Irish Times

‘This thriller is packed with so many relatable moments and as you follow the characters you can’t help but race through the pages . . . With a bookshop setting and conversational style of prose this will have huge commercial appeal’ - 'Best New Books of April 2023' Glamour ​

‘Alice Slater’s intriguing first novel offers an original take on the serial killer thriller… both women evoke sympathy and it’s impossible not to care what happens to them’ - Literary Review

'A brilliantly-written, character-led book which defies categorisation  - dark, unusual and utterly compelling. Can't wait to see what Alice writes next!' - Catherine Cooper, author of THE CHALET
 
'A gritty, sometimes uncomfortable read, but handled so well that you're swept along in it's slimy wake' - Araminta Hall
 
'So fresh and sharp, expertly plotted but also emotionally charged, comic but also pitch-black dark. Roach and Laura are utterly unforgettable. The dread I felt as I turned the pages was not just because of the inevitable collision course I feared these two characters were on, but also the threat of the pages running out, of this dazzlingly good read ending.' - Catharine Ryan Howard
‘Fiercely original and deeply disturbing, Death of a Bookseller is a dark masterpiece of grief and obsession - it will work its way under your skin like a splinter and stay there. This is a book you simply can’t put down.‘- Catriona Ward 

"Written with dark wit and verve, this mischievous novel is clever, entertaining, and unsettling, with a gasp-inducing climax that beautifully (and wickedly) intertwines the two unforgettable anti-heroines. Each sentence is a dagger, sharpened to perfection; Slater's deliciously morbid debut will haunt you."   - Caitlin Barasch

'I absolutely DEVOURED this! A highly original story about a creep you’ll easily let into your heart - but beware: once she’s there, she might just blow it up.  Fresh, funny, and brilliantly dissecting modern-day book culture, this dream debut is twisted in all the right ways.  - Hanna Bervoets, author of  We Had To Remove This Post 

'Craving a squelchy treat of a dark tale? Let yourself be torn between Laura and Roach. Each bigger than life and stickily real, they’ll vie for your shadowy heart til the end. Slater’s debut is cultish, smart and distinctive. A book that’ll linger in your mind long after you’ve followed the slimy trail to the end..' - Kiare Ladner